Abstract
March 30, 2001
Ref: Approved Cooperative Breeding Programs under the Wild Bird Conservation Act Dear Cooperative Breeding Program Coordinators and Members:
Since the publication of the permit regulations of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA), many of you have requested additional guidance regarding the establishment, administration, and amendment of cooperative breeding programs and the importation of birds under approved programs. The purpose of this letter is to provide guidance to resolve some of these issues.
When the regulations were drafted, the intent was to provide flexibility so that the program coordinators could operate programs as they see fit provided the criteria for program approval are met. This has resulted in substantial variation among programs in terms of their organization and internal management. We hope that the following suggestions will assist program coordinators and members to comply with the legislation while allowing us to retain flexibility in the regulations.
I . Establishing a new program or amending an existing one:
When a new program is established or an existing one amended, clear policies and procedures should be established. The program coordinators may want to provide a fact sheet to prospective members providing background information and policies for the program. Coordinators may require members to sign an agreement to abide by the policies. Policies may include requiring members to contact the coordinator for pre-approval of an import, provide annual reports, keep certain records, and/or contribute to expenses of the program. All importations by members count towards the total number of animals approved for the program, to establish a genetically viable and self-sustaining captive population. Additionally, a letter of endorsement from the program coordinator submitted with any member's import application will help us expedite the application review process. In fact, this would help prevent imports by program members that are not consistent with the program's management goals and would help ensure that approval conditions are not violated.
2. Withdrawing from a cooperative breeding program:
If a member withdraws from a cooperative breeding program, any birds...